


Pillow

by DarylsBabyGirl



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M, Minor Angst, Pillow Fights, Tumblr Word Prompt, non graphic sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 19:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11996055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarylsBabyGirl/pseuds/DarylsBabyGirl
Summary: Tumblr Word Prompt!'Word Prompt: Pillow' from AnonymousI hope you like it!





	Pillow

They'd started it at the prison. At the time, it wasn't love. It was simply a way to release their frustrations. Rick's grief over losing Lori had driven him over the brink, and Daryl had helped bring him back. If Rick couldn't sleep, he would go to Daryl's cell and lay down next to him. The hunter hadn't cared. Sometimes, having someone else to sleep with brought him comfort. Wrapped in each others arms kept the nightmares away. If there was one thing Daryl learned from their first night sharing a bed, Rick's shoulder was an awesome pillow.

The sex had started after they'd lost Zach and all the other people in their prison community. Neither of them had been able to sleep. Daryl took a gamble. He kissed Rick. Rick had kissed back. Things escalated from there. Next thing Daryl knew, he was on his hands and knees and Rick was thrusting into him like a mad man. It had hurt a bit, they didn't have any lube and Rick wasn't exactly in his right mind, so he hadn't opened Daryl up quite enough. But shit, Daryl had felt alive under Rick's hands and lips. His skin still gets goosebumps when he remembers that first time. 

They didn't have sex every night. Sometimes Rick was just too damn tired from being out in the farm all day, or Daryl was still sore from the previous night. After that first time, Rick took care to make sure it didn't hurt too much. It annoyed Daryl on occasion. Sometimes he wanted to just be fucked mindless from wild Rick. Rick was a very giving lover, though, and it made Daryl feel... well... loved. When Daryl would lay his head on Rick's shoulder, using him as a pillow, Rick's fingers would pet his back.

The fear that Rick may very well be dead made Daryl's heart clench like it had when he lost Merle. The more he thought about what he'd had with Rick, the more he wanted it back. He wanted those late night pillow talks. He wanted those arms wrapped around him from behind, protecting him from nightmares. He wanted Rick's lips against his ear, whispering sweet nothings that Daryl now truly believed he'd meant. He wanted Rick's teeth biting into his neck or shoulder while he pounded Daryl into the mattress. He wanted Rick's shoulder back under his head like a pillow.

And in a flash it was gone.

The Claimers acted like animals. At one point in his life, Daryl might have fit in with them. It wasn't that he was tamed, he just had a family, people he had come to love and rely on for support. He'd had Rick. He didn't fit in with these men. He'd fit in Rick's arms. He'd fit on Rick's shoulder.

Finding Rick again was like realizing for the first time that he loves the man. Coming around the front of the van and stopping in the head lights, Rick's eyes landed on him and Daryl saw the love and relief in them. 

“Hold on... jus hold on...” Daryl held out a hand to stop Joe. He focused on Rick's eyes, those beautiful blue eyes that would look down at him with such lust and warmth. “You want blood... I get it...” He dropped his bag and cross bow and held out his arms. “Take it from me, man... c'mon...”

Rick had been terrified when the men suddenly turned on Daryl, beating on him like trash. He couldn't lose Daryl again. He turned on Joe, bit into his neck and pulled back with skin and blood in his mouth. He let Joe crumple to the ground. Daryl was beating on his attackers, so Rick went for the man that was attacking Carl. 

Daryl handed him his rag with a bit of water on it and Rick wiped the blood from his lips. He felt the hunter settled against the van next to him. They sat in silence, neither sure what to say. They hadn't seen each other in days, weeks even. Rick hadn't really kept count. Daryl said he'd been with Beth, then she'd been taken away, he didn't even know if she was alive or not. He'd been with Joe and his men because safety in numbers, the rules had been simple.

“I didn't know, what they could do.”

Rick turned to look at Daryl, studying his profile and remembering the many nights he'd spent worshiping every inch of Daryl's body. He wished he'd taken the time to tell Daryl that he'd loved him. He'd been scared of Daryl pushing him away for getting serious about their sexual relationship. So, he'd always told himself “I'll tell him tomorrow.” Tomorrow came with the Governor and Daryl was ripped from his fingers. 

“It's not on you, Daryl. You bein back with us here, now, that's everythang.” It was everythang Rick had prayed for, had dreamed of. “... I love you, Daryl.” Daryl's blue eyes turned to him and Rick held his breath. Instead of saying something, the hunter scooted closer and laid his head on Rick's shoulder and closed his eyes. Rick knew Daryl didn't really speak with words much. This simple action told him everything the hunter had been feeling.

 

Now, in Alexandria, they all had beds and pillows. The first few nights, they spent all huddled together in the living room. It was how they'd been living for days. Once they began to trust their surroundings, they separated off into different houses. Daryl and Rick had shared a cell, but Daryl didn't know if Rick wanted to share a real bed with him. So, as he watched Rick get Judy ready for bed and lay her down in her crib, the hunter contemplated what to do. 

Rick left the nursery and shut the door. He looked at Daryl who was lingering at the end of the hall. “Let's go to bed.” He held out a hand to the hunter, letting Daryl make the choice. 

Daryl swallowed thickly, staring at Rick's outstretched hand. He stepped forward, and slipped his hand into Rick's. The ex cop led him into the master bedroom. They showered together and Daryl reeled from the intimacy of it. Rick's fingers massaged shampoo into his hair and body wash into his skin, washing away the dirt and grime of the last several days. They dried off and changed into fresh boxers and t-shirts. As they lay in bed, Daryl was tense. The pillows were too soft, too clean, too smooth and he huffed quietly. Rick chuckled next to him. 

“Can't sleep, darlin?”

Daryl bit his bottom lip, unsure how to ask if Rick was still fine with cuddling. At the prison, it'd been a necessity. The cots had been too small for two full grown men to share, so Daryl had always laid practically on top of Rick, using his shoulder as a pillow. 

“My shoulder not a good enough pillow for you anymore? Now that we got these fancy, feathered pillows, you're going to ignore my shoulder?”

Daryl growled and grabbed one of the pillows and smacked Rick with it. Rick laughed and brought his hands up to block off the attack. He grabbed Daryl's wrists and tried to pin him down, but Daryl wriggled away and continued smacking the downy pillow into the ex cop's back and legs. Feathers flew every where, landing gently on every surface. Their laughter filled the room as they wrestled and rolled around on the bed. The sheets came off the mattress and the blankets were askew. The mostly empty pillow was abandoned on the floor when Rick finally pinned Daryl to his chest. They panted and giggled like children, covered in feathers. 

“Such a child.” Rick murmured, pressing his lips to Daryl's hair. 

Daryl just closed his eyes, nuzzling into Rick's shoulder. Rick's fingers trailed up and down his back as he whispered 'I love yous' into the hunter's hair. Daryl placed a kiss over Rick's heart. It was all the response Rick needed. They fell asleep pressed together, right where they belonged.


End file.
